India reiterated its commitment to support Nepal’s ongoing relief and rescue operations following devastating flash floods, saying it will continue to provide assistance based on the requirements on the ground.
Addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has so far sent 95 tonnes of relief material on seven aircraft and deployed forensic and tunnel rescue teams to assist Nepal’s relief and rescue efforts.
“We have expressed solidarity and sympathy with the people and government of Nepal, and we are doing our best to help them in this particular disaster. As a close friend and neighbour, India responded promptly and will continue to support Nepal’s relief, rescue, and reconstruction efforts. We have sent 95 tonnes of relief material on board seven aircraft, and we will send more material soon. Our forensic team and tunnel rescue team are operating on the ground and assisting in the rescue and relief efforts,” Jaiswal said.
“The forensic team is currently working in two laboratories in Kathmandu and processing 1,200 DNA samples. We will continue to support Nepal based on its requirements. As I told you last time, 275 Indian nationals remain missing in this disaster, while 169 Indian nationals have been rescued so far. The 275 missing Indian nationals also include 49 people who went missing on the Chinese side,” he said.
Jaiswal further said the Indian government had been actively assisting Indian nationals following the disaster. India has set up 24×7 control rooms in India, Beijing and Kathmandu to assist them and ensure their safety and welfare.
“When this disaster unfolded in Nepal, we actively assisted Indian nationals. We set up control rooms here, in Beijing and in Kathmandu, operating 24×7, and we have been staffing these control rooms and doing our best for our people. There may be occasional cases here and there where we may have fallen short of expectations. But let me tell you that we have always sought to do our best for our people, and we remain committed to their welfare, safety and wellbeing,” the MEA spokesperson said.
A massive flood struck Nepal’s Rasuwa after originating in China’s Tibetan region on August 26.
The flood swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, killing more than 1,000 people, including foreign nationals, and causing widespread destruction across the Himalayan nation.